Russian dressing is that tangy, zesty dressingthat is the trademark of Reuben sandwiches and some other dishes, including some crab dish that I will never be able to try. While the one we make at work is slightly different than this version, this one does come from Martha herself, so you know it’s gonna be a good thing. I doubled the recipe when I made it, because I love it so much; these measurements give you about 2 cups of Russian dressing.

And now, for a bit of history (and possibly the chance to make some cash)….

Russian dressing isn’t actually from Russia, it’s from New Hampshire, which is where James E. Colburn lived when he invented it. There are tons of variations, some using mayo while others use an oil and vinegar emulsion, some using ketchup while others use chili sauce or paste, and others include ingredients like horseradish and pimentos in theirs. Although we know all of these different varieties as Russian dressing today, when Colburn invented it, he originally called it “Russian Mayonnaise” and the first jars he made had this name on the label. If you can get your hands on one – and there are still some floating around – they can be worth tens of thousands of dollars! For real! So keep your eyes peeled and in the meantime, enjoy this tasty Russian dressing from Martha.

Yesterday’s post on Argentinian Steak Salad was so popular, I thought today I’d give you another recipe straight from the restaurant - Garlic Parmesan Drumsticks.

When the new menu at work was still only being talked about, I was so excited to learn that Chef was trying to get chicken wings on it. Chicken wings are after all my very favourite food, and the thought that I’d constantly be within arm’s reach of them was something to get excited about. Unfortunately (or so I thought at the time), Boss Lady wasn’t thrilled with the idea, choosing instead to offer drumsticks. Can I be honest? I thought it was a bad decision, but it’s her restaurant, not mine. Turns out, she might just be starting a new trend because these are honestly some of the best drumsticks I’ve ever had. Seriously. Don’t be surprised if you start seeing drumsticks replace chicken wings at your favourite watering hole.

We offer them in three different sauces, but the Garlic Parmesan Drumsticks are so good, they’re the only ones I ever really order for myself. Now, you and I can both make them in our own kitchen. And how awesome is that?!?

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2.) Toss drumsticks with olive oil, approximately 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Lay the drumsticks in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and place them into the oven. Cook for 30-45 minutes, until they are cooked through and the juices run clear. When drumsticks are finished cooking in the oven, remove them and set aside.

3.) Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the garlic and the drumsticks and toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, and just a pinch of salt. Toss again to coat.

Argentinian steak salad is a dish that comes straight from the restaurant. If you don’t think it looks tasty (and how could you not?), consider that we had it as a feature several months back and it was so popular that it found a permanent home on our new menu. It’s a combination of spicy roasted potatoes, roasted peppers, flank steak, and chimichurri- which is the official condiment of Argentina, hence the name. But, being served entirely cooked and mostly hot (with the exception of the chimichurri) don’t be surprised if it sparks the debate around your dinner table of what actually constitutes a salad. I’ve seen it happen a few times.

1.) Start by making the potatoes; they will take the longest. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and toss the potatoes with the Montreal steak spice. Drizzle with olive oil, toss again to coat and spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. When the oven is hot, put the potatoes in and roast for 35 – 45 minutes, until they are golden and fork-tender.

2.) When there are about 20 minutes left in cooking time for the potatoes, toss the diced bell pepper with the thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread these out on a baking sheet and cook for 10-20 minutes, until they just begin to soften and darken around the edges. They should be done at the same time as the potatoes.

3.) Next cook the steak. Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Add the water and combine. You want this to be the consistency of a rub, so add more water if necessary. Preheat an indoor or outdoor grill to medium-high heat and when hot, place the flank steak onto it. Cook for 7 minutes, then flip and cook for another 7 minutes. This will give you a medium-rare steak; cook longer if you prefer medium although I don’t suggest cooking flank steak to medium-well or well-done. When steak is cooked to your liking, remove from the grill and let it rest while you prepare the chimichurri.

4.) For the chimichurri, place the basil, parsley, garlic, red chili flakes, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until everything is combined and broken down. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the chimichurri is a smooth consistency and everything is well blended.

5.) Thinly cut the flank steak against the grain and remove the potatoes and roasted peppers from the oven.

6.) To plate, place the roasted potatoes in the centre of the plate. Add roasted peppers on top and then, several slices of the flank steak on top of those. Place a generous dollop of chimichurri on top.

I love it when things seem to work themselves out in the kitchen; when everything just falls into place. That’s what happened when I was making pulled pork sandwiches and wanted a little bit of slawon the side, but did not have a cabbage leaf in sight. However, I did have some bok choy in my vegetable drawer that needed to be used up. And did you know that bok choy is actually a type of cabbage? Even though it seemed like such a natural base for coleslawI didn’t realize it until, feeling so inspired by everything just falling into place, I looked up some more fun facts about bok choy.

Pak choi, bok choi, and pak choy are all different spellings of bok choy. The pronunciation of it is the same.

China has been growing the vegetable for over 5,000 years. While it’s still widely grown there, California and parts of Canada also grow it. Go Canada!

You can eat both the stalks and the leaves however, because bok choy can get quite dirty, it’s best to cut the stalks from the leaves before cleaning to make sure you’re really thorough.

Like many vegetables, bok choy should not be washed until you’re ready to cook or eat it. It’s said that it will keep in the fridge for up to 6 days, but I bet I kept mine for a couple of days longer than that.

Eating a cup of bok choy will give you many of your recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamins. One cup provides more than 100% of the RDA of Vitamin A, and nearly two-thirds the RDA of Vitamin C.

It’s a vegetable with a nickname! Bok choy is also sometimes called the “soup spoon” due to its shape.

Stuffed onions are really no different than stuffed peppers, but they are smaller which could be handy when you’re in need of an appetizer. The stuffing I used for these was also quite different than what I use for stuffed peppers, making them a great vehicle for some leftover flank steak I needed to use up.

1.) Cut the tops off the onions (just the tops, not the root ends, as that will help keep them in tact). Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with a tablespoon of salt, and gently drop in the onions. Lower heat slightly and simmer the onions for 25 minutes. When onions are finished cooking, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon or tongs and transfer to a plate. Set aside to cool slightly.

2.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

3.) Once the onions have cooled slightly, cut off the root ends so that they can sit upright on a baking sheet. Then cut each onion in half and gently remove three or four of the inside layers, leaving a shell that’s about 1/2″ thick. If you pinch the end a bit, several of the layers should come loose and just pop right into your hand. Roughly chop approximately 1 cup of the layers that you’ve removed and discard the rest, or save for another use.

4.) Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the garam masala and cumin and continue cooking, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped onion, flank steak and spinach and cook, stirring frequently, just until the spinach is wilted.

5.) Take the skillet off the heat and add the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of crumbled feta.

6.) Spoon the meat and spinach mixture into each onion half, mounding it on top slightly. Use the remaining 1/2 cup of feta to sprinkle on top of the meat.

7.) Place the onions into the preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the onions are completely heated through and the feta has just started to brown.

French onion soup is not like other soups. You can’t just throw a whole bunch of odds and ends into a pot, let them simmer for an hour or so, and then be left with a wonderful piping hot bowl of soup. Unfortunately, making this restaurant classic will take a bit more of your undivided attention, if not time (the soup should still come together in about an hour). There are two key things to remember when making French onion soup: the stock needs to be the best of the best, and your onions need to be carmalized. If you feel like your stock is sub-par, adding a beef bouillon cube can help; and don’t crank up the heat when cooking the onions. While you do want them to be caramel brown and tender, it will take at least 40 minutes for that to develop. Be patient. In the end, you’ll be happy that you were.

1.) In a large Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the oil and onions and cook until onions are softened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper and sugar and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until onions are deeply golden brown and carmalized, about 35 to 45 minutes more. Be sure to turn the heat down slightly if the onions start to brown too quickly.

2.) Add wine and raise to heat to high. Boil until almost all of the liquid has been reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.) Add broth, sherry, thyme leaves and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flavours really develop. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.

4.) Preheat the broiler and position the oven rack four inches below.

5.) Ladle the soup into four 16-ounce ramekins or oven-safe bowls and top with croutons or baguette slices. Place two slices of cheese on top of each bowl so that they slightly overlap and hang over the edges of the bowl.

6.) Place the soupunder the broiler and let broil for two minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Well this certainly was an interesting dish to make. I’ve been building up to it for a few days on the site, giving you the Mexican White Cheese Sauce and Black Bean Puree you’ll need for it. But while it may look like it takes a lot of steps, and even more time, it’s something that was born one night when I came home from work and didn’t know what to make. I had leftover flank steak and some tortillas, and the rest just really fell into place as I looked through my cupboards and fridge. A word of advice? Use tortillas in your casserolesas much as you can. They turn soft and pasta-like and will make you happy.

2.) Lay all 8 tortillas out on a work surface and evenly spread the Black Bean Puree onto one side of each.

3.) Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot add the onion and the green pepper and cook for about 2 minutes, until soft. Add the flank steak and cook for two more minutes. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, ground coriander, and a bit of salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another two minutes, just to cook out the spices some. Add the frozen corn, stir, and remove from heat.

4.) Spread a small amount of the Mexican White Sauce in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. On top of the sauce place four of the tortillas, puree-side-up. On top of the puree place half of the meat and vegetable mixture and 1/2 of the remaining cheese sauce on top of the meat.

5.) On top of the cheese sauce, place four more tortillas, this time puree-side-down, so that it mixes into the sauce and meat mixture. Repeat the layers of meat and cheese sauce and place the remaining four tortillason top, puree-side-down.

6.) Sprinkle the Monterey Jack evenly over the top of the casserole and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese has melted and the entire thing is hot and bubbly throughout.

7.) Remove from oven after cooking time and let the casserole rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting into serving portions.

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